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Property values are back in the news following Andy Burnham’s arrival in Downing Street. Before becoming Prime Minister, Burnham called for Council Tax reform and questioned why homes in England are still placed into bands using property values from 1991. News coverage has since explored several possible changes, including updated bands and taxes linked to property or land value. However, at the time of writing, no detailed plan for wider Council Tax reform has been announced

Two historic homes can look almost identical. They may be the same age, similar in size and in the same area. Yet the amount needed to rebuild them after a major fire, flood or other serious damage can be very different. The point that we always come back to is this: The amount a building is insured for should reflect the likely cost of rebuilding it, rather than what the property would sell for. What do “listed” and “heritage” mean? A listed building has legal protection bec

Only 6% of listed buildings are accurately insured, with 79% underinsured and 15% overinsured. In total, 94% were insured for the wrong amount. The underinsurance gap is particularly stark. Listed buildings that were underinsured were covered, on average, for just 64% of their required rebuild cost. “Listed buildings often carry rebuild cost details that are easy to underestimate from an insurance point of view,” said Johnny Thomson, Head of Strategic Planning at RebuildCostA

Energy efficiency upgrades are now a familiar part of property ownership. Solar panels, heat pumps, battery storage, better insulation, triple glazing and sustainable materials are increasingly common in UK homes and commercial buildings. But one important insurance question can easily be missed: if a building becomes greener, would the rebuild cost still cover what it would take to put it back as it now stands? At RebuildCostASSESSMENT.com, we have already looked at how ener

The Building Safety Act 2022 has made rebuild cost assessments more complex for some buildings in England. Today, building safety compliance is an important consideration for affected higher-risk buildings and other complex properties where reinstatement would need to meet current building regulations. “The Building Safety Act has changed the way risk, responsibility and building information are managed for affected high-rise residential buildings,” Gautham Rajendar, Technica

Our latest Infographic found that 93% of UK properties are insured for the wrong amount. The regional breakdown behind that figure shows why location still matters when calculating rebuild value. National figures show the scale of the issue. Regional data helps show where inaccurate sums insured are more common. Local differences in labour, logistics, site access and planning rules can all affect rebuild costs, which is why a national average can miss important local detail.

In 2026, rebuild cost accuracy is under pressure from five key areas: labour capacity, regulatory standards, material price variation, property complexity and the age of the valuation. It is no longer enough for a sum insured to look plausible. It also needs to be supported by evidence that reflects current reinstatement conditions. “Rebuild cost accuracy is about more than the price of materials,” said Gautham Rajendar, Technical Lead at RebuildCostASSESSMENT.com. “It’s a co

When should a property alteration prompt a rebuild cost assessment? Property alterations can improve a building, but they can also change its rebuild cost. Where works materially affect a building’s size, layout, specification or services, the sum insured may need to be reviewed. “It is a common misconception that smaller renovation projects will not affect the rebuild cost of a property,” said Sharon Masters AIIRSM MARLA, Technical Lead and Surveyor at RebuildCostASSESSMENT.

A new regional breakdown of RebuildCostASSESSMENT.com’s latest data has revealed just how unevenly inaccurate building insurance is spread across the UK, with Wales , the North West and Northern Ireland emerging as some of the areas most exposed to underinsurance . Based on the latest RCA analysis, 70% of properties in the UK are underinsured overall , while 23% are overinsured . That leaves only a small minority covered for the right amount, reinforcing the scale of the ch

Commercial properties across the UK face a growing risk of underinsurance in 2026 as rebuild costs and compliance requirements continue to change. Rising rebuild costs, regulatory change and more complex rebuilding requirements can leave even well-managed portfolios underinsured if sums insured are not kept up to date. “Commercial reinstatement is inherently more complicated than domestic rebuilding,” said Gautham Rajendar, Technical Lead for Commercial Properties at...